Progression Pictures: The One Where It’s Done

In the two weeks since my last update, I’d modeled and printed an animal skull based off the demon seen in the two collaborations with Theresa. Unlike with Henri, the first print, I saved a version of the skull where its sharp geometric edges were smoothed out, giving the whole print a more organic look.

I’d also made some colorful posters for my three main collaborators, the aforementioned Alice Steneker, Jessica B., and Theresa Reyes.

And then finally, everything concluded on the evening of April 27th, and I’m overall more than happy with how my gallery was received. The iPads were mounted on walls like actual pictures while in the center was a pedestal with my models, Henri’s time-lapse video, and my business cards. Just like I envisioned, audience members could swipe through them to see the progression at their own pace, or just let it transition naturally.

The reception to my gallery was overwhelmingly positive — everyone loved the interactivity of scrolling through the creation of these beautiful pieces of digital art and some would even spend a solid minute swiping an iPad as quickly as they could. The viewers also tended to gravitate towards the models before being drawn to the pictures, though many had to be prompted to pick up the prints out of fear of breaking them (especially the sword because of how thin it was). I was asked plenty of questions about what I’d used to make the pictures, how I worked with my partners, and the process of printing 3D models. Over the weekend I’d even received an e-mail from one of the judges, Alice Cahn, with congratulations on the overall innovative presentation of my gallery.

It feels strange to relay so much positivity about my project without mentioning criticisms, but the truth is that I actually didn’t hear anything that could be considered a critique. However, that’s not to say my gallery didn’t have its problems — because it certainly did. During set-up, I was almost one iPad short because of a technical malfunction, and it’s only through the generosity of a professor and a bit of dumb luck that I was able to replace the broken iPad and present my gallery fully. Additionally, during the show, I was spending a lot of time encouraging people to go up and swipe through the iPads or pick up the models, despite my inclusion of signs specifically saying “Swipe!” near the iPads and “Hold Carefully!” in front of the models. This was likely because most viewers are told not to touch pieces of art when they go to a gallery, but I’m not sure what else I could have done about this.

To close out this last update, I’ll try to pass on some advice for whoever thinks they’ll be making a similar project: keep your vision small and increase it slightly as you finish prior goals. Initially I was only going to make two models, but I included a third and it turned out to be the most popular of them all. I was only going to work with one other artist, but others got pulled into roster as I branched out and talked to them about the whole project. Time-management and project scope are more than likely going to be your greatest enemies, but if you can work with them instead of trying to reverse the damage they cause, your creation will suffer less in the long run.

Also, make sure all your equipment works at least a day before showtime. That should go without saying, but Murphy’s law is a difficult thing.